If I was a Suzie homemaker...

Last spring I had a great realization. I realized I was putting a lot of things on hold because in my head, people don't do those things till they are married. I blogged about it.

I committed to living here and now, and not putting my life on hold because I wasn't married, even if it meant doing things at the end of a long day of work when I was tired.

I have always said "if I was a stay at home mom I would make my own... from scratch"
The list of things I would make from scratch is long.

So this week I decided to make my own laundry detergent for a variety of reason.
For some reason I thought it would be a long and complicated process.

Then I found a recipe on Pinterest.

I found out that it's not really that hard, and it doesn't really take very much time, and it would be WAY better for my super sensitive skin.

After a full day of work, I came home and I grated my bar soap.

and added water and washing soda and washing powder...

and while it was cooking I made my own disinfectant spray.

and I succeeded

and yes I have used my homemade laundry detergent to wash my clothes.

It felt very satisfying.

Catching up on Thankful Thursday 12/22 and 12/29

911 solutions to my inability to wear earrings because of my metal allergies
912 getting to wear my Saudi gold
913 getting to drive around and see where my mom went to college
914 time to be crafty
915 getting to actually watch the Pats
916 safe drive to the airport
917 Cooking school with the fam {more on that later)
918 a possible way to treat my allergies and asthma that doesn't involve steroids

920 a laid back, drama free Christmas
921 a day with just my parents
922 one on one time with my little brother
923 one on one time with his girlfriend
924 my mom's laughter while getting pedicures

925 an awesome church on Christmas eve
926 getting to watch my niece and nephew open their gifts via skype
927 Christmas carols, all the verses, and the profound truths they convey
928 Sunset run with my brother

929 Sunrise run

930 decorating a Christmas tree with my family for the first time in years

931 taking in history
932 hearing stories from veterans who served our family

933 Sushi with the fam

934 God placing people in my path to encourage me as I make scary choices

935 Peace in my heart amidst the drama surrounding me

Packing Cubes

As I was wrapping presents today, I was thinking about the best presents I've ever given or received. I feel the need to highlight a few.

Last year for Christmas I got a gift from my best friend Arwen that I was excited about. I didn't realize how it would transform my life.

What I opened on Christmas morning was a package of packing cubes.
You can buy them here.

I had always had a problem with suitcase explosion. I would try to be strategic about my packing, putting my PJs on the top, but inevitably, within 24 hours of the start of a trip, the contents of the suitcase would be in a huge pile surrounding the suitcase.

After receiving the cubes, I tried several different arrangements over the course of the last year. I've finally come to a packing plan that works for me.

Specific cubes for whole specific outfits, socks and all. The picture below is the cube for the bus ride home outfit. I carry it into the gym with me before the game. It's amazing.

And now my suitcase looks like this.

What's more amazing than the fact that my suitcase starts out like this, is that it stays relatively like this for the duration of the trip. And yes that is a candle, yes it goes on the road with me.

Looking for a great gift for that person who travels a ton? Look no further than the packing cube.

Entertaining Angels

I used to squirm about the idea of having people over to my house, mainly because I tend to compare myself to my mom in the area of hospitality. Anyone who knows my mom knows that she most definitely has the gift of hospitality.

I realized about a year ago that comparing myself to her was ridiculous. She is definitely one of the most generous people I know, but she also stayed at home almost my entire childhood, and she had domestic help in the form of what we Aramco Brats like to call the houseboy.

Our houseboy, Maurti, came twice a week, he vacuumed at lot, he did laundry, he washed the car, he did whatever my mom had on a list for him to do.

I don't have a houseboy, and I work more than 40 hours a week.

I started having people over more, but I also spent my free time beforehand trying to vacuum a lot.

Then life happened.

Then the girls in my Bible study wanted to have a function at my house, a game night for Christian single people we know. No couples allowed. No children allowed. No toddlers allowed.

I said okay and we started planning it.
We invited people.

THEN MY WORK SCHEDULE CHANGED. SHOCKER.

Then they were throwing a party at my house that I was going to be over an hour late to.
I didn't have time to scrub and clean and vacuum, and make sure there was lots of extra toilet paper in the bathroom, or to even clean the bathroom.

AND SOME HOW I WAS OKAY WITH THAT.

Truly a Christmas Miracle.

So Tuesday night I called to make sure they had gotten into my house okay, and then to tell them that all I had to drink was eggnog, and that I hadn't gotten around to making the spinach dip I was suppose to make.

And then an hour after the party started, I showed up. I walked into my house and they exclaimed "Cate, you're home! How was work!?" And it was just what I needed after a really long day at work. There were people I didn't know there. I thought for a second "Oh no, this is their first impression of me, my carpet has some dog hair on it, I only vacuumed it last week." And then I let it go, and had a great time.

I am not my mother. One day maybe, if I ever am blessed to be a stay at home mom, I will be able to throw parties remotely close to what my mom throws, and they will be awesome.
I am not in a season in life where I can do that right now, and that's okay.

But I can remember that the things I have aren't really mine, they were intrusted to me to bless others.
And I can remember that hospitality has many different looks.
And I can remember Hebrews 13:2 which says "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Thankful Thursday 12/15/2011

890 The sunset of 12/8/11

891 The ability to text photos

Making it as if Arwen is here shopping with me

892 Packing up and sending Christmas presents to my niece and nephew and smiling about what their reactions will be, I love giving gifts.

I love them

893 consistently good quiet times in God's Word
894 baptisms
895 Traditional Christmas music live with choir and ensemble
896 CS Lewis quotes
897 The constant reminder of the REASON we celebrate Christmas
896 safe travels
897 the reminder that my identity lies fully in Christ, and not in what I do, or whether we are win or not

898 unlimited cell phone minutes on the weekend
899 encouragement from friends
900 time away from the constant needs of lots of student athletes I work with to focus on the needs of just one
901 the kindness of musicians who play in our arena and use our locker rooms
902 amazing doctors who are so incredibly gifted and use their abilities to bring healing

903 my coworker's strange love for post-it-notes
904 this video


905 The reminder that God answers prayers
906 a fun night of games and hanging out with single people who aren't in college
907 that God has done so much in my heart that I let people throw a party at my house knowing I would be an hour or so late to it ( more on that later)
908 my biological family of missionaries and third culture kids, I LOVE that my cousin's sons' LOVE this song


909 time to craft
910 the sunrise on 12/9/11

Rejoice and be glad in it.

They are addicting, these websites of ideas.
Friends told me they would be.
If I wanted to, I could spend hours sifting through craft projects that would be fun, if I ever had the time. I could plan my vacations for the next 500 years. I could pin and stumble every detail of the wedding I hope to have someday. I could covet the houses of people I will never know.

Last night, as I finally caved and perused the pictures on pinterest, one thought kept coming to mind, how could I possibly spend that much money on my house, knowing that half a world away, and in my own town, people are scraping by trying to put food on the table.

How could I justify a walk in closet that is thousands of square feet, when I know there are children sleeping on a dirt floor under a tarp? How can I want granite counter tops, when my old formica (or whatever) are just fine and I've held orphan babies in Africa, wishing as a 21 year-old that I could bring them home to my apartment?

I don't think it's wrong to have or want nice things. I don't think it's wrong to remodel a completely dysfunctional kitchen. I don't think it's wrong to take nice vacations, or have nice clothing. But where is the line between need, and want, and excess?

Don't get me wrong, there are great recipes and craft ideas on both stumbleupon and pinterest. I found the mug brownies that way.

But where is the balance between accumulating and decorating, and living and giving? And I'm not talking about cute do it yourself gifts for all your friends.

The Christmas season here in America always seems to heighten my awareness off it. Having grown up so far removed from the Christmas mall shopping frenzy, it overwhelms me.

Recently I read this blog. Jen Hatmaker talks about how she and her husband have changed how they do Christmas. Each person in the family gets something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. Her children also get something to give away.

Even more extreme than Jen Hatmaker was this blog post by Ann Voskamp, whose family for 10 years has stopped giving gifts to each other and instead gives gifts to people who don't have what they need.

I don't have kids, I'm not even married, so I don't have to make decisions about how I will create Christmas for kids.

But I do have a choice about how many commercials I watch, how much window shopping I do, how much planning of things that God hasn't brought into my life yet I choose to participate in. I can choose not to buy into the idea that the amount of love you have for someone is a direct correlation to how much money you spend on their gifts. I can choose not to compete in that race to get the best gift for one person or another, knowing that my worth as a person has no dependency on whether my gift was the most appreciated or coveted, or not.

I can choose to live my life here and now, focused on what God has for me today, or I can miss all of that because I'm wishing life was different.

It's not easy, but today and hopefully tomorrow I will choose to focus on what He has for me, and not compare myself to others. This is the day He has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Thankful Thursday 12/8/2011

875 being home to go to church on a Sunday
876 the friends who called or texted to check on me when I was sick
877 a doctor who knows me well enough to just believe me and call in drugs
878 just hanging out on a Sunday night
879 the inspiring friends I have the great privilege of knowing, who spend their lives running hard after God, and daily impacting eternity

880 my BFF's husband who gives straightforward advice about dating, and also waves at the phone with his feet

881 being home to dig into the Word with the girls on a Monday night

882 God just completely showing me that He still works miracles in people's hearts, and that I shouldn't ever think anyone is ever beyond His help

883 celebrating the accomplishments of my students
884 that 2, yes 2!!!! young women that I know are getting baptized this Sunday! 2!
885 long talks with my mom
886 time to clean my house and catch up
887 sitting writing Christmas cards, smiling about various people that God has blessed my life with

888 profound moments in the grocery store checkout

889 this video

kindness

This semester I have really enjoyed the group of students I have had the privilege of teaching. One day about mid semester two of them hung around after class. They wanted to tell me how much they were enjoying my class, how it was their favorite. I tell you this not because I think I am a good instructor, but because that made my whole day. I can't tell you how much those words encouraged me. I walked to my car with extra bounce in my step. I thought to myself, how often do I think these things about others, but I don't take the time to tell them. I am so thankful for those 2 students.

I started to make a point of consciously telling people when I was inspired by them, or encouraged by them. But it was all with people I know and interact with regularly.

The other day I went to the grocery store. I had nothing in my fridge. I had nothing in my cabinets. I'd been gone so much.

I was running through the store with glee. I'm not joking, I was so excited to be eating foods that I like. Also there was pomelo in the store, which is my favorite fruit other than mango, and which no one else seems to ever have heard of.

I got to the checkout line with my cart full of greek yogurt and produce. The lady in front of me was unloading her cart. She had lots of meats, beef, chicken, salmon. She had lots of beans, pintos, blackeyed peas, etc... She had regular milk, and almond milk. She had veggies. She had cheese cloth. She had a serious look on her face. She kept consulting her list.

I said "I don't know what you are cooking at your house, but I want to come over to eat."

She smiled a sheepish grin, and then in a thick accent said "we don't eat out much." And she smiled through the whole rest of her checkout process.

Then as she walked away she said "I hope you have a very nice day."

And I thought, "seriously Cate, how hard was that? Why don't I do things like that, say things like that more often?"

How hard is it to look up from what we are doing and notice others?
How hard is it to say a kind word to a stranger? How can I make this a habit and not an anomaly?

I think the answer is to make a conscious effort, and hope that over time it comes more naturally, becomes second nature.

In Luke 10, just before Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan, he is asked what one must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus' answer is simple, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. Secondly He says we should love our neighbor as ourselves. His answer is quickly followed by a second question, who is my neighbor? To this question, He answers with the story of the good Samaritan. I think most of us know it. If not, you can read it here.

I think that to love my neighbor involves more than just saying kind words, but maybe that is a good place to start.

Hurt

A couple weeks ago, I was reading along as Ann Voskamp went with her husband to Ecuador. All of her posts from that trip with Compassion really convicted me, but one in particular had me tearing up.

As I thought about how little I do in my own life, with the time and resources I have been given, I was struck by something else. There are lots of hurting people the world over. Here I was sad for a young man I am likely to never meet. How many hurting people are there in my community, how many hurting people do I interact with daily, without even noticing? Who is their voice? Who will help them?

There is suffering, there are hurting people all around us. We like to sterilize our lives from it. We like to pretend that there aren't hurting people in close proximity to us. We like to section them off, not drive down those streets. If we pretend they aren't there, we don't have to do something. Doing something generally costs us something. It costs time, finances, emotions. Doing something involves risk and personal sacrifice.

We like to send money, or travel to foreign countries for a week or two to help hurting people. That isn't a bad thing. When we use those trips and that money as an excuse to ignore the hurting people in our backyard though, that is a problem.

I think sometimes it's easier to worry about the hurting people half a world away, and give money, than it is to worry about the hurting people who live in my neighborhood, and get my hands dirty and my heart involved...

Thankful Thursday 12/1/2011

859 No matter how long it's been since we talked, no matter the distance between us, my Saudi family is always there for each other when we need each other

860 The gift of donated organs
861 The peace that comes when someone who died was clear about their faith beforehand
862 Remembering hilarious things my brother has done, that make me laugh (The "shark attack", the lawyer on the beach, the change at Sully's)

You know, cause most family photos look like that...
863 a morning to sleep in and catch up on some much needed rest
864 getting to help a friend with homework on a topic I love
865 God's clear hand in the midst of really hard times
866 a movie night with some of the girls
867 God's Word encouraging me about circumstances I currently find myself in
868 smooth travel
869 caterers showing up
870 FROZEN YOGURT
871 an encouraging message from a friend reminding me to wait patiently on the Lord
872 This Louie Giglio video


873 God really giving me clarity
874 the reminder that it's not what we say, it's how we live